Tag Archives: explore santa barbara

3 Ideas for Your Santa Barbara Date Night

We’re going out tonight. Here are three of our top date-night restaurant picks, and what you should be ordering. Time for tapas! Cadiz serves up Italian, seafood, and killer cocktails. They’ll even do you a solid with some vegan or gluten-free dishes, if you ask. For tapas, we would recommend the arancini, beet salad, and […]

2 Santa Barbara Artists You Need to Know About

Planning a trip can be so stressful. Let’s take it easy, okay? Let’s see some art, or at least think about it. Ponder it a little. You know you could also always just get dinner and drinks, if you don’t have it in you to hit up the galleries tonight. No Brooklynites in this bunch. Not […]

Wine Not Doing It for You? We Visit a Couple Bars in Santa Barbara

Everyone and their mother knows that California does wine incredibly well. But you can only go wine-tasting, order that pinot with dinner, and visit vineyards so many times. Nothing can replace the classic bar. Whether it’s a cocktail or a pint that you’re looking for, let’s get into some of the bars Santa Barbara has for you. […]

Where to Eat This Week in Santa Barbara: Mesa Verde, Big Eye Raw Bar

Let’s go out to eat tonight. We’ve missed talking about food on the blog! It’s really been a while. Summer’s simply such an active season, full of events and sports and tourism. Here are two restaurants that we locals love…but which we haven’t yet shown any love for here: Mesa Verde and the Big Eye […]

August for the Adventurous in Santa Barbara

Are you bored of spending so much of your vacation in restaurants? Tired of all the talk of local wineries and hiking trails? We love all those things — obviously — but sometimes you need to shake it up a little. We thought we’d round up some of the slightly more adventurous and unusual events coming up here […]

5 Reasons to Spend Summer in Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara is beautiful year-round, but there’s something about summer in Santa Barbara that we absolutely love. It’s the perfect time to visit us at Marina Beach Motel. The weather is gorgeous and there are endless things to do. Whether you’re a foodie, a hippy, or an outdoorsman, there’s something for everyone in Santa Barbara! […]

8 Fun Outdoor Activities in Santa Barbara

No one visits Santa Barbara to stay indoors all day. There are dozens of fun outdoor activities in Santa Barbara though, so it can be hard to decide how to spend your time while you’re here. That’s why we decided to list our favorite outdoor activities in Santa Barbara to help you out! Read below […]

The Best Bike Rides in Santa Barbara

Biking is a great way to tour Santa Barbara, allowing you to view all the local attractions while getting some exercise. It’s also one more way you can be an eco-tourist, meaning you’re conscientious about the environment you’re visiting. Better still, we at Marina Beach Motel offers free Beach Cruiser bike rentals to all of […]

The 8 Most Beautiful Places Near Santa Barbara

anta Barbara and its surrounding cities have a lot to offer when it comes to activities, but what about beauty? Here are the 8 most beautiful places near Santa Barbara: 1. The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden is essentially a living museum, featuring 78 acres of a variety of more than […]

15 Fun Facts About Wine

At Marina Beach Motel, we’re big fans of Santa Barbara wine–and it’s not just because it’s locally made. There’s something about sipping a sweet rose during a sunny Santa Barbara summer that makes us proud to live here. But enough about us. We decided to share our love of this historic beverage by offering you […]